When to see Super Blue Blood Moon in Western Australia

Full red moon with reflection closeup showing the details of the lunar surface. As seen from Varna,Bulgaria. Photo: Stanimir G.Stoev

Get ready to have a truly terrestrial experience on Wednesday night.

A super blood blue moon will take place starting from 7.48pm on January 31, 2018, and Australia will have the best vantage points for viewing.

It is a lunar trifecta as there will be three phenomena happening all at once to create a true spectacle which will take longer than five hours from start to finish.

This is how it will happen:

Blue moon: This is a reference for the second full moon in a month. This is because lunar months are a little shorter than solar ones leading to an extra moon during the year.

Super moon: This happens when the moon is its closest to the earth during its orbit. Because of this the moon will appear much bigger in the sky and about 30 per cent brighter.

Blood moon: The blood colour of the moon happens during a lunar eclipse as the sun, earth and moon align while the moon passes through the earth’s shadow. The red colour is caused by sunlight refracting around the earth.